Italian Pesto Roasted Chicken Recipes

ITALIAN OVEN-ROASTED CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix the potato chunks in a bowl with half the olive oil, half the parsley, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
• Toss to coat well, then spread over the bottom of a large roasting pan large enough to hold all the potatoes in one layer.
• In the same bowl, mix the chicken parts with the remaining oil and parsley and more salt and pepper, again stirring to coat well.
• Arrange the chicken over the top of the potatoes, skin side down.
• Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, remove chicken pieces to a plate, stir the potatoes, and replace the chicken pieces, skin side up.
• Return to oven for an additional 30 minutes.
• The chicken is done when crisp and brown and the potatoes should be roasted to a fine golden color.

PESTO ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pre Heat oven to moderate. Loosen skin on chicken breast by sliding your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Rub about 11/2 tablespoons of Pesto under the skin over the breast.
• Rub the remaining 11/2 tablespoons of pesto over the outside of chicken, breast, legs and wings.
• Place halved onions in a roasting pan drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over and place chicken on top.
• Roast, uncovered in moderate oven for 30 Minutes.
• Add garlic and zucchini to roasting pan, drizzle with a little extra oil and return to the oven for about 1 hour or until chicken is coked through.
• If using cherry tomatoes add to roasting pan about 20 min's before the end of cooking time.
• Serve with fresh corn on the cob and roasted potatoes.

ITALIAN PESTO ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut off the top of the head of garlic to expose the cloves, trimming about 1/4 inch off of the top of each clove. You may need to trim individual cloves along the sides of the head. Brush the cut cloves with a small amount of olive oil and nestle the head into a piece of aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cloves begin to soften, about 20 minutes. Remove garlic from the oven and let cool slightly. Leave oven on. Press on the bottom of each clove to push softened cloves out of their peels and into a small bowl.
• Process basil in the bowl of a food processor until minced. Add roasted garlic and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; pulse a couple of times to mix together. Pour olive oil in slowly, with the processor running, until pesto is smooth and has achieved your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slide your fingers under the skin of the chicken to loosen it. Rub pesto generously underneath the skin and inside the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken on a rack inside a baking pan.
• Place chicken in the oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Increase heat to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and cook until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 10 to 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH PESTO POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
• Cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Fill each pocket with an equal amount of mozzarella cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of ham. Arrange the wrapped chicken breasts in a baking dish. Place the tomatoes around the chicken, sprinkle all with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
• In a saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover, boil the potatoes 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to the pan, and coat with the pesto.
• Place chicken breasts, tomatoes, and potatoes on serving plates, and drizzle with the reduced balsamic vinegar to serve.

STUFFED ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• For the roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside and leave the oven on.
• While the tomatoes roast, make the pesto: Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil and process until the pesto is emulsified.
• For the chicken: Spread 1 tablespoon of the pesto over each chicken breast, sprinkle with Parmesan and then top each with 2 slices of the provolone. Wrap 3 slices of the prosciutto around each chicken breast and the toppings.
• Place the chicken breasts on the same baking sheet with the roasted tomatoes and bake for another 20 minutes. Set aside.
• For the salad: Toss the arugula with the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a large bowl.
• Divide the tomatoes among plates, top each with the chicken and the arugula salad. Enjoy!